Sunday, September 04, 2005

Georgia latest location for the voter-id fight

A new voter-identification law in Georgia that recently was approved by the Justice Department has angered civil rights groups, which say it will disenfranchise blacks, the elderly and rural voters.

State legislators said the new law requiring voters to present a photo identification, such as a driver's license or a state school ID, will prevent voter fraud and keep noncitizens from voting.

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I cannot fathom by what legitimate stance someone can argue that requiring a prospective voter to show a valid form of ID will disenfranchise that person. I am required to show my driver's license to cash a check, take out one of the local mall's strollers for my kid or borrow some of the resources at the local library. Those are all OK, but making me show that same ID to cast a vote in an election is too much of a burden? Please. Anyone seriously making that argument is either colossally stupid, suffering from a knee-jerk reaction to what is being painted as a conservative opinion, or actively trying to maintain an avenue of election fraud.

Every state in the Union should have a requirement for picture ID to vote, the sooner the better.